Sydney Allard facts for kids
Sydney Herbert Allard (born June 19, 1910 – died April 12, 1966) was a super talented British car designer and racer. He started his own car company called Allard. He was also a very successful driver in races like rallies and hillclimbs, often using cars he built himself!
Contents
Early Life and Racing Start
Sydney was born in London, England. His family owned a big Ford car dealership called Adlard Motor. He went to Ardingly College in Sussex. After school, he became a director at his family's business. He married Eleanor May in 1936. His son, Alan, later became the first president of the British Drag Racing Association.
Sydney started racing in 1929 with a three-wheeled car made by Morgan. He later changed it to have four wheels. He raced at famous tracks like Brooklands. In 1929, he won his first race at Brooklands, going 73.37 miles per hour!
Winning Races and Building Cars
By 1933, Sydney was competing in tough "trials" races. In 1935, he won his class at the Brighton Speed Trials in a Ford V-8 car. He even won a 50-mile race on the sand in 1936.
Sydney started making a few of his special Ford-based cars for sale. In 1937, he tried to drive his Allard car up Ben Nevis, a mountain in Scotland. The car crashed and rolled, but Sydney was okay! He set a new sports car record at the first Prescott Speed Hill Climb in 1938. He and his team, the "Tailwaggers," did very well in many races and rallies.
Just before World War Two, Sydney won the last speed event in England. His car flipped over after the finish line, but he and his passenger were not hurt.
Allard During World War Two
During World War Two, Sydney's company helped the army. His large repair shop fixed army vehicles like Ford trucks and Jeeps. In 1941, his family had a very close call during a bombing raid. By 1943, he had 225 employees and was fixing over 30 vehicles every week.
Post-War Racing and Company Challenges
After the war, Sydney quickly returned to racing. He also restarted his car company. It was a tough time because of petrol rationing and material shortages. Despite this, Allard cars were in demand.
Sydney won the 1949 British Hill Climb Championship in his self-built Steyr-Allard car. He had also placed third in 1947 and 1948. In 1951, he even converted his Steyr-Allard to have four-wheel-drive!
International Success and Famous Races
In 1949, Allard cars won the team prize at the Monte Carlo Rally. Sydney himself finished 24th. In 1950, he finished eighth in the Monte Carlo Rally. He then raced in the Targa Florio in Sicily, but his car crashed and burned.
Later that year, he bounced back with a third-place finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He and his co-driver, Tom Cole Jr., had to drive for hours using only top gear because of a gearbox problem. Sydney's determined driving impressed everyone, earning him the nickname "The Hissing Madman."
Allard cars, especially the Allard J2, were popular in the United States. They were sent there without engines, and powerful American engines like Cadillac or Ford were added. After the war, it was hard for Allard to get materials. It also didn't make sense to import American engines just to export them back to the U.S.
Sydney Allard became famous worldwide when he won the 1952 Monte Carlo Rally in an Allard P1. He beat Stirling Moss, who was a very famous driver. Sydney's wife, Eleanor Allard, also raced in this event!
Le Mans and Allard's Influence
Sydney raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1951, 1952, and 1953, but he didn't finish any of those races. Even so, his cars were making a big impact. Famous drivers like Carroll Shelby raced Allard-Cadillac J2 cars in the United States. The idea of putting a powerful American V8 engine into a light car, pioneered by Allard, inspired the design of famous cars like the Chevrolet Corvette and the A.C. Shelby Cobra.
In 1958, Sydney built another special car for sprints and hillclimbs. He finished third in his class at the Brighton Speed Trials that year. This car was very fast, reaching 125 miles per hour!
The 1960s: Rallying and Drag Racing
In the 1960s, Sydney Allard continued to race in rallies. He often raced with Australian navigator Tom Fisk. They won their class in the 1963 Monte Carlo Rally.
Father of British Drag Racing
Many people call Sydney Allard the father of British drag racing. In 1961, he built the Allard dragster, a super-fast car with a powerful Chrysler engine. It was built in just 23 weeks! This car was first shown in July 1961.
The dragster had some problems at first. At the Brighton Speed Trials in 1961, a fuel line broke, and the car didn't perform as expected. People were disappointed. However, on October 14, 1961, the Allard dragster finally showed its true speed. It ran the quarter-mile in an amazing 10.841 seconds! This was a record for the UK. On April 14, 1962, it set an even faster time of 10.48 seconds for the quarter-mile.
In 1963, Sydney Allard helped bring American drag racers like Dante Duce and Mickey Thompson to England. This helped make drag racing very popular in the UK. Sydney was even given the SEMA trophy for his efforts.
In 1964, Sydney launched the Dragstar Dragon. This was a low-cost dragster kit that people could buy for under £500. Several of these cars were built, and his son Alan Allard was one of the drivers.
Sydney Allard founded the British Drag Racing Association in 1964 and became its president. He also organized the International Drag Festivals in 1964 and 1965. These festivals brought famous American drag racers to the UK and really helped grow the sport.
A second Allard-Chrysler dragster was built for the 1965 Drag Festival. At one event, Alan Allard drove it to a speed of 168 miles per hour!
Sydney Allard passed away on April 12, 1966, after being ill for several months.
Legacy
Sydney Allard left a huge mark on motor racing. He was known as "The Hissing Madman" for his fearless driving.
- In 1991, Sydney Allard was honored by being added to the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame.
- In 2007, he was also added to the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame.
- There are parts of race tracks named after him, like "Allard's Gap" at the Prescott Hill Climb and "Allard bend" at the Craigantlet Hillclimb. There's also a corner named Allard at Thruxton Circuit.
See also
- Archie Butterworth
